Resilient wheel



"' Feb. 27, 1923.

A. L. MORSE. RESILIENT WHEEL.

FILED AUG-6| 1919.

inven'for'.

Alun Li ldre AITys.

' Mam; I

Patented Feb. 27, 1921).

BESILIE'NT wrtnnn,

..TaZZ whom'z't may concern:

,them in any direction.

Wheels such as are used upon automobiles. andnlike vehicles are employed the lateral strain due'to the side slippageof the plane" in landing is often such 'as' tofraoture the ;,Be'it known that I; ALAN L. MoRsE, a

. citizen of the United Eitatesyand resident of Arlington,coiintyptMiddleseX; State of .Massachusetts, have invented an iI 'Inpro-veinient lin eR esilient.l/Vheels, ofwhich:the following description, in connection niiththe accompanying drawing, is spec fication, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to iniprovementsin resilient Wheels and the object thereofis to provide a resilient Wheel which will be capable of yielding under strain applied insubstantially any directionand which will be .restored -to its initial condition immediately Whenthe strain-is relieved.

.More specifically the ob-ject oi the invention is to provide a resilient Wheel which is particularly adapted for use in the landing gear ofiaeroplanes the landing .Wheels of such structures being subjected to unusual strains which. are likely to be imposed upon :yvheel, thereby permitting the plane to crash with more or le'ssforce upon'fthe ground. In such case the broken parts of thewheel alsodamage the body or' the ivvingsof the plane.

A ,further object therefore of the inven-' .tion "is to provide a resilient Wheel Whi ch f I I H "fl ng s 2 an 3 n or i li hymay. e

' will be capable of fyielding under strains im- .vide a resilientwheelin Whichithe yielding resistance will be distributed, uniformly over van increasing larger portion of the arm as j the resistance is increased. I This is accomwplished in the present invention by providposed in any direction without fracturing.

Another-object o f the invention is to proing elastic disks connecting the fellytto the hub, saiddisksbeing conoidally diverging, II

preferably under tension, from the telly to :the hub.

A further (objectot the invention is to provide a novel meansf for clamping the vdisks to the telly and the hub.

.A further object of theinvention is ,to provide means for limiting the stretching movement of the disks so that the same may not be stretched beyond their elastic limit and thereby, injured .or destroyed.

. Other objects and features of lVhere ordinary the inven- I tion; will; more fully; appear lflffimgtahef'folrow ng descr ption andithegaceonrp nyl dr win s and will bepciiited gut the anl I Y Y Preferred embodiments ofmy invention are""illustrated in the accompanying arawing in which,

VHF I is a vertical central sectionalwiew Fig. e is a vertical setionali viewpf the :forms' 'ot disks llustrated in' corinectiohyvvith Figs, 2 andS; and,

, Fig.1 5 is a'fdetail sectional View otthetelly 'having a v pneumatic. tire connected thereto showing the infiationftube 'ejiztnding through on ejofthe hollow 'sereyvs' ff or clampi thef f disks to the flange up origjthe v g L a I'i z .ZThe resilient Whee1j illustnatedj in' the accompanylng drawings comprises broadly a hub and a any connected 'annulafridi'sks o re l t-m e i l ecur d qt ei y t e 1 b, tcb'noidal yl d er ent :JfiQi iMif y I sa rily maintained nd er ten on. ,1 The lljub c pr s a cyhfid c -Lm r! 1% br he head if the latter istutned from solidlst k;

Thehub 1 isadaptedtdbe mounted ufpp an axle 4 in anyjusu'al j manner. S m-we in 'the draing th'e axle is 'l roy idednvit-h a.

collar 5" ivhich may "beintegral ijth "it {or Welded or otherwise securedlto Ii tifadapted to "engage the inner end'of the hub, lar collar 6 lidab1y mounted upon the outer ,fellj' tire and gp o rtion o'f the elas ticdiskS shoyvmg a mod'ifie'd form of means forfi'securing the disks tojthe' telly, and, I

ends of the axle securd to the plates; by a pin 7 or bya nut or other fas-teningfdexdcc serving-"to retain th'e'huldiir positionfupon theaxle. I

Thefelly comprises aring portion 8 prefr y ha tesrfl i wa y .Xt d s flanges 9, 10 provided with la tera-lly flj'ent edge portions 111 and 12 forming'fiviththc be under considerable tension.

13, 14 adapted to receive the peripheral edges of disks 15, 16 of resilient material such as preferably highly elastic rubber.

. The rim of the telly is also provided with" clincher flanges 17, 18 having inturned edges adapted to engage theenlarged or thickened clincher portions 19 and 20 of the shoe of a resilient preferably pneumatic tire 21.. The felly may be provided with one removable flange, or ring, adapted to permit the tire to be removed and replaced in a usual manner, or may be provided with means for permitting the removal and re-- placement of a rim having the tire mounted uponit.

.'Tll8 disks 15 and 16 desirably are provided with thickened peripheral annular "portions .22 which are clamped in the chantrated in Fig. 1, said plates serving thereby not only to secure the periphery of the disks firmly in the channels but also to strengthen the flangesof the felly.

' The disks 15 and 16 are also provided with thickened anchoring portions 26, 27

adapted to engage the flanges 2, 3' upon the hub and are clamped thereupon by rings 28 29 having preferably suitable screws 30 passing through them and entering screw :threaded apertures in the flanges 2 and 3. 35'

The screws 30 preferably-are of large diameter in order to prevent tearing or cutting of the thickened portion of the resilient disks l5 and 16 and desirably may be made hollow. Y

The flanges 2 and 3 of the hub are placed at .a' considerably greater distance apart than the flanges 9 and 10 upon the telly so that the disks 15 and 16 will diverge conoidally from said disks to the telly. The disks may be molded in substantially the conoidal form desired or may be made flat but in either event desirably are of such size that when secured to the telly and hub will When the wheel is thus constructed the pressure upon the axle of the wheel tends to stretch the v portions between the axle and substantially felly.

'In order to prevent so great stretching as to exceed thelimit of elasticity of the disks and therebycause a breakage or tearing of the disks a non-resilient means preferably is secured to the hub and the telly in the central plane of the rib of the telly and normal.

islaaeaa to the axis of the hub. A preferred means comprises a web of inelastic material 31 which may be secured .to a flange 32 upon the hub by a clamping'ring 33 and bolts 34 and at its periphery to the telly in any suit able manner, for example the web 31 may be provided with grommets 35 through which the bolts 25'may pass.

It will be understood that any other suitable inelastic means may be provided for thus limiting the movement of the axle relatively to the telly as for example cords.

'vhains or other flexible means.

In Fig. 2 a modified construction is disclosed in which the telly 36' is provided with flanges 37 38 which diverge in the direction of the walls of the disks when assembled in the wheel. held by screws 41. 42 serve to secure the thickened edges 43 of the disks 44., 45 to the felly. Both the flanges and clamping disks preferably are. provided with com plementary laterally flanged edges to form channels to receive said thickened portions of the disk. The hub 46 is of tubular form and is provided with inclined flanges 47, 48 extending in alinement with the flanges 37 and 38 upon the telly so that a straight tension is imposed upon the web portion of the disks. The thickened walls 4901. thedisks 44 and45 are secured'to the flanges 47 48 by clamping ring-s50, 51 and suitable screws 52 preferably of the character above described.

The clamping rings and flangesdesirably are provided with inturned edges which cooperate to embrace the thickened portions 49 of the disks 44, 45. In this construction the disk preferably is molded flat as illustrated in Fig. 4 and is placed under tension when assembled in the wheel.

In Fig. 3 a still further modified structure is disclosedin which the telly 53 is provided with flanges 54 and extending in parallelism with the central plane of the telly, the enlarged portion. .43 of the disks such as those, illustrated in Fig. 4 being clamped against said flanges by rings or clamping plates 56, 57 secured together and to the flanges 54, 55 by bolts 58 passing through said clamping rings, the thickened portions 43 of the disks and the flanges 54, 55.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a convenient provision for the inflation tube for the pneumatic tire. The inflation tube 59 of the pneumatic tire 21 is carried through an aperture 60 in the telly, and thence through one of the hollow screws 41'which serves to bind the clamping ring 39 upon the flange 37. In assembling the wheel the tire is first placed upon the telly, the disk 44 secured in place, the inflation tube passed through one of the hollow screws which is apertured Clamping rings 39 and 40 throughout its length and the inflation tube 18( secured in place by suitable means 61. The

other disk 45 is then secured in place as illustrated. Any other suitable means may of course be employed for bringing the end of the inflation tube to the outside of the wheel Where it will be accessible for pumping up the tire.

It Will be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is illus trative and not restrictive and that various modifications may be made Within the meaning and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A resilient Wheel comprising a hub and a felly, and annular disks of elastic rubber connecting said hub and said felly, said disks conoidally diverging under tension from said felly to said hub.

2. A resilientwheel comprising a hub and a felly, annular disks of elastic material having thickened annular interior and peripheral anchoring portions and clamping means on said hub and felly engaging respectively said thickened portions and maintaining said disks conoidally diverging under tension from said felly to said hub.

3. A resilient Wheel comprising a hub and a felly, annular disks of elastic ma terial having thickened annular interior and peripheral anchoring portions, channeled flanges on said hub and a clamping ring co-operating therewith engaging the interior thickened portion, channeled flanges on said felly and co-operating clamping means intermediate of said disks connecting said felly to said hub and acting to limit the stretching movement of said disks.

5. A resilient whee-l comprising a hub and a telly, and annular disks of elastic rubber connected to said hub and said felly, said disks conoidally diverging under tension from said felly to said hub and an 1n-. elastic flexible annular member of greater.

diameter than the distance from the hub to the felly connected to said felly and said hub in a plane normal to the axis of the hub, acting to limit the stretching movement of said disks. I

6. A resilient Wheel comprising a hub and felly, annular disks ofelastic material connecting said hub and felly, said disks conoidally diverging from said felly to said hub and means for connecting said disks to said felly and said hub including flanges upon the hub and felly respectively extend ing in substantially the direction of the Walls of said disks.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALAN L. MORSE. 

